Introduction: Building the Bridge

The first thing on the page is a quote from Herbert A. Simon. It reads

Learning results from what the student does and thinks

and only from what the student does and thinks. The 

teacher can advance learning only by influencing what the 

student does learn.

So I thought to myself the pattern I see so far has to do with learning, doing, and thinking. The rotation of these three actions creates a pattern of knowledge and understanding. Why is a bridge necessary...as stated in the title? Shouldn't the research and the practice say the same thing? Students learn when they think and do. Students think when they learn by doing. Students do and they think and learn. The interaction of this pattern appears necessary all levels of formal learning. So, I continue to read to see how the pattern plays out in this chapter.

I see the definition of learning used in this book and the three italicized words are: process, change, and experience. So what does this definition have to do with learn, do, and think? I found my answer near the end of the introduction: The seven learning principles described in the introduction and throughout the book are domain-independent, experience-independent, and cross-cultural relevant. Student learning involves a process no matter what content is provided. When students do or participate their knowledge base begins to change from the experience. Once an experience occurs the student will think about the cultural relevance and how that caused the experience to play out.

Now that I see the pattern...connections...interplay, I understand the principles in a different way.

1. Prior knowledge helps or hinders learning (What you know changes the way you think.)
2. How knowledge is organized influences learning and application of knowledge (Thinking is changed due to the process.)
3. Motivation determines, directs, and sustains what is learned (Personal and non-personal experiences effect what is learned.) 
4. Mastery of knowledge requires acquisition, integration, and application of skills (Learning through a process requires change in understanding.)
5. Use of goals as directives along with targeted feedback enhances the quality of learning (Change agents  coupled with the learning process creates high quality learning.)
6. Interaction of current level of  development with affective, cognitive, and social domains creates the learning climate within the classroom (Experiences create types of learning.)
7. Monitoring and refining learning allows students to be self-directed learners (The learning process along with change enhances knowledge.)

This may not make sense to the reader right now, but I do see a pattern of use with the words I have identified in this blog post. We need to keep in mind- if we want quality education- that a bridge must always connect the learning process, the action of change, and the experiences in life.